Nikole Bakoles (3 of Hearts, Utah)

Summary

The Deck Podcast: Episode Summary – "Nikole Bakoles (3 of Hearts, Utah)"

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Deck
• Host: audiochuck (Ashley Flowers)
• Episode: Nikole Bakoles (3 of Hearts, Utah)
• Release Date: October 30, 2024

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Introduction

In this poignant episode of The Deck, host Ashley Flowers delves into the cold case of Nikole Bakoles, also known as the "3 of Hearts" from Utah. The episode explores Nikole's tragic disappearance, the relentless search by her family, and the ongoing investigation striving to uncover the truth behind her untimely death.

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Background: The Bakolis Family

Nikole Bakoles, affectionately known as Nikki, was a vibrant young woman who disappeared in the year 2000. She was 19 years old at the time of her disappearance and the mother of an 11-year-old daughter, Chloe. Nikki's family, especially her mother Nancy, had been searching for her for over a decade without success. The family's bond was particularly strong between Nikki and her younger brother, James.

James Bacolis reminisces about their close relationship:

"When we were younger, we were just peas in a pot... she always looked after me."
[03:13]

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Timeline of Events

Early Life and Relationships

Nikki led a close-knit family life until her teenage years when she began seeking independence. Her relationship with Joel, an older man she met through church, marked a turning point. Joel, aged 19 at the time, introduced Nikki to substance use, specifically heroin.

James Bacolis recalls:

"They went camping east of the mountains... it sounds ridiculous to me."
[04:24]

Descent into Substance Abuse and Motherhood

Nikki's life took a downward spiral as she and Joel struggled with addiction. Despite her challenges, Nikki became pregnant with their daughter, Chloe, and initially showed hope by entering a treatment center. However, Joel's move to Utah for a construction project with his father led Nikki to relocate with him while pregnant, against her family's wishes.

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Disappearance and Initial Investigations

In January 2000, Adrienne Bacolis, Nikki's older sister, had her last conversation with Nikki. Nikki called from a motel, pleading for help while a man in the background insisted she hang up. Shortly after, all communication ceased.

Adrienne Bacolis shares the last interaction:

"She called from a motel because it came up on caller ID... there was a man yelling at her to hang up."
[08:36]

The family later discovered that Chloe had been taken into protective custody by Child Protective Services and placed with Joel's parents.

As years passed without any news, Nancy hired a private investigator, but Nikki remained missing. In 2003, Nancy officially reported Nikki missing in Midvale, Utah, the last known location.

Nancy Bacolis expresses the ongoing pain:

"It's heartbreaking because it never got easier. You don't get over that."
[11:23]

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Breakthrough: Discovery of Saltaire Sally

In 2011, while searching online, Nancy found an article about a Jane Doe dubbed "Saltaire Sally," whose remains were discovered near the Great Salt Lake in 2000. Nancy recognized similarities between Saltaire Sally and Nikki.

Chloe Bacolis reflects on their discovery:

"I was still pretty young and nobody even sat me down and told me. I found an article about it online."
[18:53]

Nancy provided DNA samples, which matched Saltaire Sally in July 2012, confirming that Nikki's remains had been found.

Detective Ben Pender discusses the confirmation:

"Our researchers can confirm this was Nikole Bakolis."
[16:06]

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Impact on the Family

The confirmation brought immense sorrow but also brought closure to some extent. Nancy and her siblings brought Nikki's remains back to Washington, allowing the family to mourn properly.

Adrienne Bacolis shares:

"Running around looking for answers was exhausting, but bringing her remains home was a big deal."
[21:11]

Chloe, now an adult, expressed the devastation of learning about her mother's death through a newspaper article at age 11.

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Ongoing Investigation: Seeking Justice

With Nikki's identity confirmed, Detective Ben Pender and his team resumed the investigation to ascertain the circumstances surrounding her death. Joel, Nikki's ex-boyfriend, became a person of interest due to his history with substance abuse and the last known interactions with Nikki.

Detective Ben Pender explains Joel's involvement:

"He is definitely someone who may have more information than he has provided."
[28:52]

Joel cooperated with authorities, revealing that the last time he saw Nikki was on New Year's Eve 1999. He mentioned an argument over drug use, leading to Nikki leaving while he was in recovery. Joel provided some information about other individuals Nikki interacted with, but details were scarce.

James Bacolis considers possibilities:

"I do believe that if Joel was involved, it was more likely an overdose in him dumping her."
[32:45]

Detective Pender remains hopeful that advancements in technology and new evidence will eventually shed light on Nikki's fate. The investigation remains active, with detectives holding out hope for breakthroughs.

Detective Ben Pender emphasizes the ongoing efforts:

"We continue to look at other individuals, continue interviewing individuals... it's an ongoing investigation."
[31:01]

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Family Reflections and Hopes

The Bakolis family continues to grapple with the loss and the unanswered questions surrounding Nikki's death. They honor her memory by seeking justice and hoping that Nikki's spirit finds peace.

Nancy Bacolis states:

"She wanted so badly... She just wanted to be a mom like her whole life."
[35:10]

Chloe expresses gratitude for the podcast bringing attention to her mother's case:

"I'm so appreciative. There's so many times where I was listening to Crime Junkies or the Deck... it's crazy to have any interest in our case."
[35:56]

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Conclusion

The episode of The Deck meticulously chronicles the heartbreaking journey of the Bakolis family as they search for answers about Nikki's disappearance and death. Despite the years that have passed, the family's unwavering hope for justice and closure remains a testament to their love and resilience. Detective Pender's continued investigation signifies that Nikki's story is still being pursued, with the hope that one day, the truth will finally come to light.

For more information or to assist in the investigation, listeners are encouraged to contact Salt Lake County Sheriff's Detective Ben Pender at 385-468-9816 or via email at [e-mail].

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• James Bacolis on sibling bond:
  "We were just peas in a pot."
  [03:13]

• Adrienne Bacolis on last conversation:
  "She called from a motel... yelled at her to hang up."
  [08:36]

• Chloe Bacolis on hearing the news:
  "I was still pretty young and nobody even sat me down and told me."
  [18:53]

• Detective Ben Pender on Joel's involvement:
  "He is definitely someone who may have more information than he has provided."
  [28:52]

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Final Note: This episode serves as a powerful reminder of the enduring pain of unanswered disappearances and the relentless pursuit of truth by families and investigators alike. The Deck continues to shed light on such cases, aiming to bring closure and justice to the victims and their loved ones.

Transcript

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[Ashley Flowers]

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[Ashley Flowers]

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[James Bacolis]

When we were younger, we were just peas in a pot. You know, we did everything together all the way up until maybe fifth and sixth grade when she went off to middle school. And I think that our particular bond was kind of stronger all the way up until that point. And then inevitably, like any older sibling would, she needed a little independence. And so I kind of turned into the trailing kind little brother. But she always looked after me. She also let me know I was annoying at times, you know?

[Ashley Flowers]

Like so many teenage girls, Nikki started going to parties and hanging out with boys. But it wasn't until she met an older guy named Joel that things really took a turn. She actually met him through church, of all places. Even though Joel was the child of very strict religious parents, he seemed to have quite a bit of freedom, maybe because of his age. I mean, he was over 18, so what were his parents really gonna do? Whatever the draw. 16 year old Nikki fell for Joel hard and fast. James said that before he knew it, his sister and Joel were on an overnight camping trip with another couple, which he said raised red flags for him. Even as a teenage boy himself.

[James Bacolis]

Within a couple weeks of having had known each other or gone out, they went camping east of the mountains. Do I have any idea how a couple of 16 year old girls went camping with a 19 year old and a 21 year old in eastern Washington? No, I don't, but it sounds ridiculous to me. And there's lots of things where I look back and I get frustrated, like who was in charge, who was paying.

[Ashley Flowers]

Attention by this age? James remembers that Nikki was very strong willed, even a little stubborn. And as a busy working mom, Nancy was kind of at a loss with how to handle her sometimes.

[James Bacolis]

She'd already ran away a few times at this point. My mom had reached a point where she just didn't tell her nothing. She just wanted her to stay home and be happy. And she just was putting band aids on bullet wounds, Just trying to keep her happy in the moment, hoping that she would change on her own, you know.

[Ashley Flowers]

And James said that Nikki did change. In fact, something happened on that camping trip that changed the course of his sister's life forever. James said that the day Nikki got back from the trip, she just seemed off. He asked her what was going on, and she ended up telling her younger brother that while they were in the mountains, she and Joel used heroin.

[James Bacolis]

And that was the first time they hung out, you know, like for real. And as a grown ass man, he did that to a 16 year old girl and she never came back.

[Ashley Flowers]

James and their older sister Adrienne said that from then on, Joel and Nikki were both struggling with substance use disorders. They started spending more and more time together, and it wasn't long before Nikki found out she was pregnant. Her siblings said that even though she was so young, Nikki was beyond excited to be a mom. She ended up going to a treatment center and came out hopeful for her future with her baby. And she had big dreams of a white picket fence life with her new little family. So when Joel decided to move to Utah to work on a construction project with his dad, Nikki wanted to go with him. James and Adrienne said that their family literally begged Nikki not to move away. But as anyone who was once a teenage girl will tell you, when someone says you can't do something, especially something involving the boy you love, you're going to do it anyway. So Nikki moved to Utah with Joel while she was pregnant, and her family said that once she was there, Nikki had patches of sobriety. And for a while it, it seemed like she was on a good path. But it didn't last long. When her family came to visit at the birth of Nikki's daughter, Chloe, it was clear that Nikki was using heroin again. As Nikki and Joel both continued to struggle with substance use, they were moving around quite a bit. They lived with Joel's parents for a few months when Khloe was a newborn, and they talked about checking into treatment centers, though it's unclear if they actually did. And then they had a little apartment of their own for a bit. But at some point when Khloe was still an infant, they moved out of that apartment and started bouncing around between different extended stay motels in downtown Salt Lake City, which meant that getting in touch with Nikki had become pretty tricky. Her communication with her family was, I mean, unpredictable at best. It wasn't uncommon for them not to even know Nikki's phone number or where she was living. And when they did hear from her, it was only for one reason. Here's Nikki's older sister, Adrienne.

[Adrienne Bacolis]

Our conversations were just.

[Nancy Bacolis]

She would ask for money and then she would just hang up. I mean, it was really bad at the end there.

[Adrienne Bacolis]

My last conversation with, I called her to tell her I got engaged in December of 99 because we've always talked about raising our kids together and being in each other's weddings and things. So I was excited to tell her I was engaged, but she just wasn't my sister and she just asked for money. She just didn't care.

[Ashley Flowers]

Nancy, James, and Adrienne had all kind of put their foot down at that point. They told Nikki that if she wanted to come home, they would buy her a ticket. But sending her money just wasn't an option anymore. And they figured that was why she stopped calling, because they weren't giving her what she wanted. Adrienne had what would end up being her last conversation with her little sister in January 2000, and she can still remember what she heard.

[Adrienne Bacolis]

She called from a motel because it came up on caller ID it was a motel, and it was her asking for help from me. And there was just a man in the background yelling at her to hang up the phone, and she wouldn't. I just remember he just kept yelling like, hang up. Get off the phone. Hang up.

[Nancy Bacolis]

And then the phone just clicked.

[Ashley Flowers]

Not long after that, the calls just stopped coming for everyone in the family. What they would come to learn about a year later is that while moving from motel to motel, Child Protective Services had stepped in and decided baby Chloe wasn't safe anymore living with her parents. She was taken into protective custody and placed into a foster home until her grandparents, Joel's mom and dad, came to get her.

[James Bacolis]

I think that, like, once they took her baby from her and gave it to her grandparents, I think that broker. She didn't care anymore.

[Adrienne Bacolis]

She told us if she lost Chloe.

[Nancy Bacolis]

That would be it. That would be the bottom. She wouldn't be able to get over that.

[Ashley Flowers]

When Nikki's family learned that Chloe had been taken away, it made even more sense that they hadn't heard from her in a while. They thought that maybe she was just distraught or even ashamed that she'd lost custody of Khloe. Maybe she was back in treatment, trying to get on track and regain custody. Or maybe she was just really mad at them for refusing to give her money. James and Adrienne said they figured Nikki would just call them when she was ready to talk or more likely, when she needed something, like she always eventually did. But as more and more time ticked by and that call for money or to check in never came, there did come a point where Nikki's family became worried that something had happened to her, something bad. And that's when Nancy started trying to track her daughter down. She had no idea how to get ahold of Joel, who was as transient as Nikki had been. So she reached out to Nikki's friends. But even then, she really only knew the people Nikki had hung out with up in Washington, where they lived. So no one had seen her since she moved, which had been quite a while when she got really worried. Nancy hired a private investigator to try and locate Nikki, but they couldn't find her daughter either. In 2003, Nancy finally called to report Nikki missing in Midvale, Utah, which was the last place she knew her daughter and Joel to be living. She talked to the Midvale police again in 2004, in 2007, and in 2008, but it was as if her daughter had just disappeared. Adriane said that as time went on, their family really didn't talk about Nikki's disappearance a whole lot. They all thought about it, I mean, all the time. But it was kind of just this unspoken thing they all dealt with quietly, mostly because of how it affected Nancy.

[Adrienne Bacolis]

She was just always so sad. There was just always that missing place, you know, at the table.

[Nancy Bacolis]

My poor mom just wasn't the same after that. It's heartbreaking because it never got easier. You just always felt it. Just something's always missing. You don't get over that.

[Ashley Flowers]

After so many years, her searches for her daughter had been reduced to what she could do on the Internet, but they never stopped. Year after year, she scrolled newspaper articles and NAMUS profiles until one day in 2011. That's when she saw her. It was just a digital reconstruction of a Jane Doe dubbed Saltaire Sally by the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office. But Nancy knew it in her bones. This was her daughter. And the more she learned about how and when this Jane Doe had been found, her heart broke.

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[Ashley Flowers]

Beat your co pay price this flu season. Stay prepared with GoodRx. Go to GoodRx.com deck that's GoodRx.com deck everyone's got a thing, whether it's vinyl records, sneakers or sports memorabilia. And talking to people about how you found them on ebay can quickly become your whole personality. Even at 2am when you can't get your obsession off your mind. You're on ebay for sure. Scrolling your favorite seller's storefront, setting search alerts, building the watch list of your literal dreams, and making everyone in the group chat jealous. Maybe you've even gotten your bestie onto ebay, too. And it's pretty likely that when they found out that they could get their favorite thing and for a good deal, too, well, it's game over. And if vinyl records, the newest sneaker drops, and sports memorabilia aren't your thing, the best part about ebay is that it doesn't matter what you're into. Designer watches, car parts, vintage furniture. It's all there. You might just discover your next passion on ebay, too. So go find the things that keep you up at night. Ebay Things people love Saltaire Sally's remains had been found by the sheriff's office back in October of 2000 on the edge of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Hunters had come across skeletal remains that were next to but not in what looked like the start of a shallow dug grave on a stretch of land where field met sand and briny water. This was a place where the scent of salt was so heavy in the air and plant and animal life were a bit wild. But it wasn't exactly remote. The spot where these remains were found is about two miles east of an old resort called the Saltaire Pavilion. It now acts as a concert venue called the Great Saltaire. Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office Detective Ben Pender, who is now the lead investigator on this case, took our reporters out to that area, and they were surprised to see that this place is not at all remote. The lake and the mountains are on one side, and the other is a heavily trafficked highway. In our audio recordings, you can hear the cars whizzing past as they looked out at the scene. And Detective Pender said that this road was just as Busy back in 2000. Now, what was initially collected there was limited just 26 bones, including a skull, some wavy brown hair, a T shirt, and a necklace. But it was testing they'd done on the hair and teeth that Nancy found so compelling. Beher revealed that this Jane Doe had likely been in the geographic area between Great Falls, Montana, and Salt Lake City, Utah, during the past 22 months. And then the hair testing in the teeth showed that she likely lived in the Pacific Northwest before that, just like Nikki. So Nancy reached out to the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, but according to her kids, this wasn't the first time she'd called them and the first time hadn't gone very well. James and Adrienne couldn't remember what year Nancy first contacted police in Salt Lake, but they remembered that when she did, whoever she spoke to kind of just shut her down.

[Nancy Bacolis]

They said, it can't be her. That's what we always heard. It can't be her because of how long he said she'd been there.

[Ashley Flowers]

We asked Detective Pender about those first calls from Nancy, and here's what he.

[Detective Ben Pender]

Said that very well could have been.

[Nancy Bacolis]

Said to her by a detective at the time. I don't see anywhere where it says.

[Detective Ben Pender]

That or it's documented, but again, I'm not saying that it couldn't have happened.

[Nancy Bacolis]

I hope it didn't.

[Ashley Flowers]

A mother's intuition kept Nancy pushing. She would call again, and when she eventually reached Detective Todd Parks, she was prepared to convince him of what she knew to be true. Along with the geographic connections to the Pacific Northwest and Utah, Nancy also knew that Nikki often wore a large white T shirt, just like the T shirt that had been found near the shallow grave. But Nikki's brother James said that the other piece of evidence found that one was really important to their mom.

[James Bacolis]

The picture in the drawing is, like, literally of the choker she used to own. It's like, did they get a picture of the actual choker that they found? That damn choker, I think, is what really set my mom off on it.

[Ashley Flowers]

When Nancy ran through all these similarities with Detective park, It had been 11 years since Saltaire Sally's remains were found and nearly eight years since Nancy had first reported her daughter missing. But park saw it, too. He asked her if she'd be willing to provide a DNA swab. And right away, Nancy said yes. She went to her local police precinct to give a DNA swab, knowing that the last thread of hope was about to be severed if she was right, and she was. In July 2012, detectives went to Washington to tell Nancy that the DNA sample she gave was a match to Soltaire Sally. To this day, Adrienne can still vividly remember the moment that her mom broke the news to her.

[Nancy Bacolis]

I was actually in Vegas in a friend's wedding. Mom found out a couple days before but didn't want to tell me while I was gone. So I had just got back from Vegas and went straight to her house. I had had a dream the night before, and I had told her it was a strange dream that there was a box on my front step, like a was mailed to me, and I opened, and it was just a Box.

[Adrienne Bacolis]

Of bones, which was strange. I didn't understand what that meant.

[Nancy Bacolis]

You know, it was just a weird dream.

[Adrienne Bacolis]

And I walked in her house and she just hugged me really long. And I was like, what's going on? And then she told me that it was Nikki, that they had told her.

[Nancy Bacolis]

That it was Nikki.

[Adrienne Bacolis]

And we just hugged and cried in her living room.

[Ashley Flowers]

Our reporters talked to Nikki's daughter chloe, who's now 26 years old. And she remembers the moment that she learned the news too.

[Chloe Bacolis]

I was still pretty young and nobody even sat me down and told me. I found an article about it online.

[Ashley Flowers]

Chloe was only 11 when she read that article. And she said she remembers crying and yelling at her grandfather, asking why no one told her. I mean, she knows now that no one really knows how to break that news to an 11 year old. And that there were even bigger feelings behind those tears like they did for her grandma Nancy. The DNA results shattered Chloe's hope that someday she would have her mom back. And until that moment, there had always been this dream of a future with her mom in it.

[Advertiser 4]

I had a lot of dreams about finding her or just maybe what she looked like or what she acted like. So she was definitely kind of part of my world. It's not like I went around my early life not really thinking about her. I have a very vivid memory of being in like early elementary school, at school with my friends, like sitting in the little field on the playground, and I was like, guys, I'm packing up my stuff. I'm going to run away. I'm going to go find my mom. I was like, very dedicated to that for like a week. I did not run away, but I packed up my little Barbie backpack and everything and I was like, time to go. I don't know what I thought in my mind, but I was like, I'm just gonna walk out and I'm just gonna keep walking and eventually I'm gonna just find her. I guess when I was, you know, younger, before, you know, we found her remains and things like that. I think my only theory was like, maybe she's just still like really going through stuff and she doesn't wanna, you know, talk to people about it. So I thought, you know, eventually she'll just come back when she's done working through what she's working through.

[Ashley Flowers]

Nikki's entire family had to let go of their hope that Nikki would someday come home. But they were able to bring her remains back to Washington a few weeks after they were told about the DNA match. In August 2012. Nikki's mom and siblings went to Utah to collect what was left of Nikki. And while they were there, a detective took them out to Saltaire to visit the spot where Nikki's bones had been found. And Adrian said being there and then bringing her home made the weight of it all really sink in, especially for their mom.

[Nancy Bacolis]

My brother and I knew. I knew most likely that she was gone, but she held onto that hope. She said she had to keep that hope. So I think that then she just could breathe in a different way. And for us to be able to bring home what was left of her.

[Adrienne Bacolis]

Was a big deal.

[Ashley Flowers]

It was a big deal for investigators, too, because now that detectives had Nikki's name, they were able to start working backwards to figure out how Nikki ended up all alone at the edge of that lake. And they started with Nikki's on and off again boyfriend, Chloe's father, Joel. Investigators went to Washington to speak with Joel In August of 2012, the same month that Nikki's family had gone down to Utah. And in the 12 years since Nikki disappeared, Joel had racked up quite a long criminal record, mostly for things like theft and drug possession. He'd been in and out of jail a few times while Chloe was being raised by his parents, and he was actually incarcerated. When detectives first sat down with him, Detective Pender said Joel cooperated. But there was one problem. They still don't know exactly when Nikki died, so they really couldn't pinpoint when they needed Joel to account for his time. And even if they did know it had been 12 years, so could they really expect him to remember exactly where he was? What Joel could tell detectives was that the last time he saw Nikki was on New Year's Eve, 1999. So about nine months before her body was found, he told police that he and Nikki had partied that night. And he said that while he was in recovery for his substance use at the time, Nikki apparently wasn't.

[Detective Ben Pender]

He indicated they got into a bit of an argument due to the drugs, and he had actually took Nikki's backpack and put it outside the door and told her to come back when she was clean. So she left. And apparently the cops had showed up as well. She had taken off and was walking up the street, and when the cops got there, he just informed them that she had left and that they had an argument and there was no other issues.

[Ashley Flowers]

Joel told detectives that about a half an hour after Nikki left, she called and told him that she'd talked to her mom and she was trying to get money to Get a U Haul to drive back home. This is something that Nikki's family told us she was known to do. She'd call home, ask for money for something like a rental or a plane ticket to come home, but that money would just disappear, and Nikki wouldn't actually go back to Washington. Joel said that Nikki called him one more time that night, but he didn't answer. After that. He said he never saw or heard from her again, but his father, Sonny, did. Our reporters actually got in touch with Sonny, and while he still couldn't remember exactly when he saw Nikki, he said he thinks he was the last person in the family to see her. He was able to narrow down the timeline a little bit based on the construction work that was being done in the area back then. You see, Sonny worked in construction for a long time. He's actually still working now at 84 years old. And when he ran into Nikki, he was working on a highway building project being done in preparation for the city to host the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. He said he remembered it being dusty outside from construction when he saw Nikki at the Flying J truck stop, and that based on where the road had been built to by then, it was likely sometime in the late spring or maybe early summer of 2000. He said he interacted with her. He bought her lunch, and then they sat and talked for about 30 minutes. And he said that Nikki seemed like she was in recovery and that she was talking about going to school. Sonny said he also spotted Nikki at a gas station in downtown Salt Lake City around that time. He said he saw her talking to a man in a work truck that had sort of signage on it for a temporary fencing company, another thing that was common during the prep for the Olympics. But he said he didn't get a good look at the guy Again, Sonny couldn't say exactly when this was, but he does know it was before September 2000. He remembers that month vividly because that was when he, his wife, and Khloe moved to Wisconsin to be closer to his wife's family. But shortly before they moved, he said, they got a visitor. Sonny told R reporter Taylor that sometime after those sightings of Nikki, he saw a man drive by his house a few times. Eventually, he said, the man stopped and knocked on his door. The man was married, apparently, and Sonny said that this guy told him that he'd kind of been taking Nikki, like, under his wing. And he asked if Nikki was living there. And when Sonny told him no, that she hadn't lived there in quite a while, the guy kind of like pushed back. Sonny said he actually had to get a little short with the guy, who didn't seem to believe that Nikki wasn't there. Now, eventually the guy left, but Sonny said he saw him drive by a few more times. He said he never talked to him again, and unfortunately he couldn't tell police much more about the guy. Sonny gave all this same information to detectives back in the day, and they did try to track this guy down who'd knocked on the door. They even tried to track down the man Nicki was talking to in the fencing truck, but without much information to go off of, they didn't get very far. So investigators were left to chase down other new leads and revisit old ones. Everyone's got a thing, whether it's vinyl records, sneakers, or sports memorabilia. And talking to people about how you found them on ebay can quickly become your whole personality. Even at 2am when you can't get your obsession off your mind, you're on ebay for sure. Scrolling your favorite seller's storefront, setting search alerts, building the watch list of your literal dreams, and making everyone in the group chat jealous. Maybe you've even gotten your bestie onto ebay too. And it's pretty likely that when they found out that they could get their favorite thing and for a good deal too, well, it's game over. And if vinyl records, the newest sneaker drops, and sports memorabilia aren't your thing, the best part about ebay is that it doesn't matter what you're into. Designer watches, car parts, vintage furniture. It's all there. You might just discover your next passion on ebay too. So go find the things that keep you up at night. Ebay. Things people love For a gift that is always on time and lasts a lifetime, you can't do better than Masterclass. Masterclass is the only streaming platform where you can learn and grow with over 200 plus of the world's best instructors. Learn from any Masterclass instructor anywhere on a smartphone, computer, smart tv, or even in audio mode. With Masterclass, your loved ones can learn from the best to become their best. And listen, you're clearly a crime junkie. I bet you have crime junkies in your life. They have masterclasses from people like John Douglas, one of the fathers of the Bauer. I mean, take it from me, in another life, I wanted to be a profiler. Well, welcome to Masterclass. In this life, I can be. Masterclass always has great offers during the holidays, sometimes up to as much as 50% off. Head over to masterclass.com deck for the current offer. That's up to 50% [e-mail] deck masterclass.com deck In 2018, Detective Pender flew to Washington to meet with Joel again. He said Joel was cooperative, but to this day, he still feels like Joel may know more than he's letting on.

[Detective Ben Pender]

At this point, he's still somebody definitely on our radar, somebody who we believe that may have more information than he has provided.

[Ashley Flowers]

Apparently, Nikki's mom, Nancy, always thought that, too. Adrian said her mom always thought Joel knew something, and she died having questions for him that now she'll never get the answer to. Chloe, Joel and Nikki's daughter, isn't sure what to think. Her relationship with her dad has been kind of on and off over the years, but she actually tried to call him after we reached out to her to see if he would talk about the case with her. He didn't return her call. So she told us about the conversations she'd had with him about her mom in the past.

[Chloe Bacolis]

He spoke very fondly of her, but I feel like we never really got into, you know, maybe what happened. When I did talk about her, it was more like, did you love her? How did you meet, like, when you were younger? So just fond memories, not so much about her case, I'm sure. I asked him some things, and I won't say that he was not open. I think if I, like, really got in there, he might have told me some things. I'm sure someone in some part of my family or friends or something has probably blamed him at one point. Whether or not he was involved, I don't know. But, you know, as a significant other of Nicole, you know, he's like, probably the first suspect. So I'm sure someone has accused him of something at some point. So I never really felt like I wanted to bring it up with him specifically because I wasn't sure how he felt.

[Ashley Flowers]

She said that although it's a hard thing to grapple with, she hopes anyone investigating her mom's case will look at every possible suspect, including her dad.

[Chloe Bacolis]

I have no idea if it's ruled out now, but I know that my father is at least some sort of suspect or was. And again, I don't have any. I'm so neutral when it comes to him.

[Ashley Flowers]

Our reporters called Joel, but he didn't answer. And detective pender said that while they rule Joel out, they can't rule him in either.

[Detective Ben Pender]

At this point, I don't have evidence to necessarily connect him.

[Ashley Flowers]

So Detective Pender and his Team continue to work Nikki's case, and they're holding out hope that new technology will someday make the little evidence they have more useful.

[Detective Ben Pender]

We continue to look at other individuals, continue interviewing individuals out there that either knew Joel or Nikki or both or may have some information about the case as well. So it's an ongoing investigation. It's something that's not stopped. We're not just idle waiting on technology to change. There's still other things that are being done in the case that may also provide information at some point.

[Ashley Flowers]

He actually told us they do have some evidence that they're waiting to test and that they have the full support of their sheriff to access whatever new resources they need to to keep working the case.

[Detective Ben Pender]

At this point, we know we have evidence. We just are limited on what we can and can't test currently, but we're constantly watching and monitoring that and the advancements and things that we can do.

[Chloe Bacolis]

That evidence that you're hanging on to test is a DNA evidence.

[Detective Ben Pender]

I won't say at this point.

[Ashley Flowers]

What Detective Pender would say was that he believes whoever killed Nikki or whoever left her body by the lake was somebody who.

[Detective Ben Pender]

I don't think this is necessarily a stranger. I'm not going to 100% rule that out.

[Ashley Flowers]

He also thinks that it's possible that Nikki died of an overdose and that whoever she was with left her out in Saltaire rather than helping her or reporting her death.

[Detective Ben Pender]

That's definitely a possibility where there was drug use involved and whoever she was with at the time maybe panicked and instead of calling the authorities, they decided to just abandon out there to not have any involvement in the case.

[Ashley Flowers]

James also agrees with Detective Pender that that's a possibility.

[James Bacolis]

I do believe that if Joel was involved that it was more likely an overdose in him dumping her. In my personal opinion, I could just see him, just a sad boy digging that hole. I could just see it breaking his heart while he did it. There's really the two scenarios. The culminating thing with Joel or she pushed him away and ran off and was in unfamiliar territory. She just. She ran into the wrong person.

[Ashley Flowers]

James and Adrienne both say they actually just learned about that hole dug near Nikki's remains this year. For Adrienne, that brought forth new questions about what happened to her sister. Questions she's not sure she wants answered.

[Nancy Bacolis]

I don't want the answer to be somebody did something bad to her and that she suffered, because that won't bring me any peace. So do I want an answer?

[Adrienne Bacolis]

Yes.

[Nancy Bacolis]

Something I can live with.

[Adrienne Bacolis]

I don't want the answer to be that she suffered, that that's how her last moments were.

[Ashley Flowers]

Adrienne doesn't want the last few years of Nikki's life to be all that she's remembered for.

[Nancy Bacolis]

I just feel when people hear drugs, they just kind of get a picture of who that person is. And that was just such a small part of her life. You know, she was only doing drugs and that kind of stuff the very end of her life. Like, that's not who she was. I hate that. That's how she's seen instead of, you know, the first 17 years. She always shopped at the Goodwill, and she always was just, like, about nature. We call her the flower child, but she was very shy. She was go with the flow, just trying to make, you know, everybody happy.

[James Bacolis]

She was a creative. She was, like, definitely a hippie at heart. We haven't even scratched the surface on what her spirit was like, the way she would light up a room and the power of her smile or the power of her scowl if you're on the wrong side of it, or just the types of poems and pictures and dreams and conversations.

[Ashley Flowers]

Whoever's responsible, James and Adrienne are still hopeful that someone will come forward, forward with information that will bring some sort of justice. Justice for their mom, who spent the rest of her life looking for answers. Justice for Chloe, who grew up without her mom, and justice for Nikki, whose life was discarded just as it should have been starting.

[Nancy Bacolis]

She wanted so badly.

[Adrienne Bacolis]

She just wanted to be a mom like, her whole life. She finally was, and she just couldn't be the mom she wanted to be. That made her sad. And I knew that because, you know, in her little bits of clarity, every once in a while, she told us she was enrolling in school and she was getting a job and she was going to be a good mom.

[Ashley Flowers]

Adrienne told our reporters that although everyone always says Nikki was 20 when she died, and that's even what we said earlier, no one can be sure that she even made it to her 20th birthday in August 2000. She may have been just 19 now. As an adult who is older today than her mom ever got to be. Chloe said she still hopes someone will come forward to answer the questions that she's had her entire life.

[Chloe Bacolis]

It's just so crazy that you guys are doing this. I'm so appreciative. There's so many times where I was listening to Crime Junkies or the Deck or whatever it may be and just thinking, like, I wish that there was a Way for me to, you know, have this for my mom's case or to get in contact. It's crazy to have any interest in our case just because it's been so long and there's just not a lot of information.

[Advertiser 4]

If I wasn't going to say anything to anybody that was around her at that time or does maybe know something, that one, it's not too late to say something. And even just the slightest bit of information could mean so much, like just knowing one thing of, like, she was staying at this place at this time or I actually spoke to her at this time. Anything like that that could, like, narrow down her whereabouts at that time could give so much information. I would just want to tell them that it still matters what they know and, you know, even if they're afraid to give information that they shouldn't be, that we just want to find out what happened to her and what her final days were like and get some answers. And if there really is somebody out there that actually did her harm and it wasn't any sort of mistake, then any information that someone could give us could bring that person to justice. So I think I would just want to tell them to not be afraid and that even the littlest thing that seems insignificant could make the biggest change in the case.

[Ashley Flowers]

James said that whether or not he ever learns the name of the person who killed his sister or left her by that lake, he knows what he would say to them if he got the chance to talk to them or if they're listening right now.

[James Bacolis]

What I believe in is the divine light and the everlasting consciousness and that our energetic souls live forever. And that this, the greatest miracle of this little life that we're suffering through, you know, in all of its ups and downs, the greatest miracle in this life is its death. Because we get to go home, right? So, hey, thanks for giving my baby sister a quick ride home. I'm walking, though. I'll see her soon.

[Ashley Flowers]

Investigators are still looking to talk to anyone who knew name Nikki and joel in early 2000. Or if anyone, you know, knew them or has any information about Nikki's death, please contact the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Detective Ben Pender at 385-468-9816 or you can email him bpenderaltlakecounty.gov the deck is an audio Chuck production with theme music by Ryan Lewis. To learn more about the deck and our advocacy work, visit the deckpodcast.com so what do you think, Chuck? Do you approve?

[Advertiser 1]

This episode is brought to you by Nordstrom It's a season of wonder all the way. At Nordstrom, you'll find the best gifts for everyone you love, including tons of ideas under 100 and gift experts to help wondering what to wear. They have everything from cozy styles to party perfect looks along with free style help from their stylist. Plus, they'll help make your shopping easy with services like in store order pickup, gift wrap options, free shipping and returns, and more. Discover the wonder of the holidays today in stores [e-mail].

[Ashley Flowers]

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